Geoff Calkins: On the bright side, Tiger losses not torturous

March 23, 2014 - Dejected Memphis teammates David Pellom (left) and Chris Crawford (right) walk off the court after falling to Virginia during their third round NCAA tournament game in Raleigh, N.C. (Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

RALEIGH, N.C. — Look at the bright side. When this Memphis team loses games, it’s not heartbreaking. No Mario Chalmers miracle shots to smash your dreams. No missed foul shots down the stretch to cause you unending misery. No, when this Memphis team loses games, you don’t have to torture yourself with what-ifs.

“What in the world?” is the better question.

A college basketball season brimming with highs and lows came to a brutal end Sunday night as the Virginia Cavaliers pummeled the Tigers, 78-60.

“I’ve never been to a Sweet 16,” said Memphis guard Geron Johnson, who was not able to deliver on his promised two NCAA tournament wins, who will not be making that return trip to Madison Square he had been planning. “Now it doesn’t look like I’m going to one.”

Elsewhere in the locker room, Michael Dixon Jr. and Chris Crawford sat quietly, staring into nothingness. Joe Jackson lingered in the shower, the last he would take as a Tiger.

The four senior guards are four former guards now. On the final night of their careers, they combined to score just 26 points on 9 of 28 shooting.

“Tarik Black texted us before the game to tell us not to tell the feeling he’s feeling,” said Johnson. “Now we’re feeling that feeling.”

It started with such promise, too, after a day of scintillating basketball. Kansas lost to Stanford in a thriller. Kentucky defeated Wichita State in a classic. Here in Raleigh, former Memphis high school star Jarnell Stokes had 17 points, 18 rebounds and five assists to lift Tennessee into a Sweet 16 matchup against Michigan.

So then it was the Tigers’ turn to strut their stuff. DeAngelo Williams and Isaac Bruce took their places in the Memphis cheering section. For about 10 minutes, they had something to cheer. And then?

Well, do you remember what happened against Oklahoma State in Stillwater? And against SMU in Dallas? And against Cincinnati anywhere? Against Connecticut in FedExForum?

That happened again. Pick the winter metaphor you prefer.

“It had an avalanche affect,” said Memphis coach Josh Pastner. “It just snowballed from there.”

It was the seventh double-digit loss of the season for Memphis, the fifth by 15 points or more.

“When we get down, we obviously dig ourselves a hole,” said Dixon.

And then they keep on digging.

This one had all the hideousness of the earlier blowouts, all the familiar failings. The Tigers missed some easy shots. Then they lost their composure. Then they stopped defending. Then they started playing hero ball.

“We were obviously terrible on the defensive end,” said Crawford, which could apply to much of the season.

Former Memphis forward D.J. Stephens took to Twitter to express his frustration: “All these athletes and don’t nobody wanna block a shot.”

Or take a charge, for that matter.

The second half was just a romp, a party, a Wahoo celebration. Jackson was subbed out for the final time at 2:51. After four years he had two NCAA tournament wins, which can only be considered disappointing.

Indeed, in the locker room afterward, Johnson described the season thusly: “We underachieved. I know that we’re a better team than we showed all year.”

Pause.

“We got some good wins,” he added. “Don’t leave that part out.”

So let the record show that they got some good wins. Let the record show that they swept Louisville. But let the record also show that they were routed in too many games because of undisciplined offense and phantom defense.

All week long, Pastner said he’d be run out of town if he lost this game. That was never close to the truth. He has had too much success in his five years in Memphis for his job to be in peril.

But this was an ugly way to end the season, and a reminder of too many preceding uglinesses.